Regarding Revelation, how do I apply this to my community?: (I flipped the questions this one time.)
Once, maybe soon after college, I was on a trip to Assateague Island and Chincoteague, where the wild horses are, with my Aunt Connie, Uncle Tom, and cousin Jason. Once when we were driving in the area, I notice a billboard that had a picture of Jesus. His eyes were red and kind of glowing. He looked pretty mad. I chuckled, because it seemed to be the opposite of the common depiction of Jesus, portrayed a soft and gentle. I have learned that Jesus is Loving, and I have learned that Jesus is also just. People doing wrong is not unknown by Jesus, or unaccounted for by Jesus. For those who do not receive Him, their sins have not been atoned for, and on judgment day, they will be sentenced. Love is offered by Jesus right now. To not accept it is to not accept the punishment that Jesus took on the cross for anyone. I am willing to tell that to my community right here and now.
Regarding Revelation, how do I apply this to myself?:
Years ago I played a game with a Sunday school - "Stump Hunter," having students ask me questions about the Bible to try and stump me. It was great. Interesting that in my heart I end over three months of hard work on this assignment on the similar note with which I began this personal New Testament Introduction. I mention one thing I do not know. I do not know how there can be no tears in heaven. After so much suffering in this world full of so many hurtful things being done by however many people, and knowing that the perfection process has been completed for me so that I can be completely loving, someone who was not loving before giving my heart to Jesus, I do not know how I could refrain from crying when delivered in full into the arms of Jesus. Yet I will find out, praise be to Jesus!
+Thank You Holy Father for enabling me to write this entire New Testament Introduction. It is through Your Awesome name Lord Jesus that I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Revelation background
Revelation
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Around 95 A.D. is quite a popular date.
Language: Greek
Place: Island of Patmos
Purpose: There is a clear threefold purpose. First, to give compliments and corrections to churches at the time of John, which has been advice to heed for Christians ever since in these "last days." Second, to present a vision of God's majesty and just wrath during the "last call" of the end times. Thirdly, to close Scripture with a prophecy of Judgement Day and a promise of heaven for those who have given their heart to Jesus, the One who died to forgive sins.
What kind of book?: Apocalyptic, revealing prophecy, through a vision given to John the apostle by God, full of metaphors, full of truths.
Reflection: A little more than one year after I turned to Jesus, I decided to read the entire New Testament. That was in 1991. I would usually do the reading on the way home from work on the subway. One evening I was reading Revelation. The chapters involved some "far out" stuff. Not being into "sci-fi," that stuff was rather foreign to me, and brought doubts to my mind regarding the legitimacy of all Scripture. After the subway ride, I would then take a bus from the subway station, and then I would have a bit of a walk from the bus stop to my parent's house. So after that subway reading I had the bus ride, and I was kind of out of it thinking about what I had read. Then I had the walk from the bus stop where I was really thinking about what I had read. Coming out of the woods I had to go through, I looked up to see a grand rainbow. A rainbow had been something that I knew God had used to reach out to me in the past. It had become a sign from God for me. (Whenever I see a rainbow now, I say the Lord's Prayer.) The cool thing was that it was a really sunny day. I was not even expecting a rainbow. I knew that God gave that rainbow for me that evening to comfort me. And comforted I was.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Around 95 A.D. is quite a popular date.
Language: Greek
Place: Island of Patmos
Purpose: There is a clear threefold purpose. First, to give compliments and corrections to churches at the time of John, which has been advice to heed for Christians ever since in these "last days." Second, to present a vision of God's majesty and just wrath during the "last call" of the end times. Thirdly, to close Scripture with a prophecy of Judgement Day and a promise of heaven for those who have given their heart to Jesus, the One who died to forgive sins.
What kind of book?: Apocalyptic, revealing prophecy, through a vision given to John the apostle by God, full of metaphors, full of truths.
Reflection: A little more than one year after I turned to Jesus, I decided to read the entire New Testament. That was in 1991. I would usually do the reading on the way home from work on the subway. One evening I was reading Revelation. The chapters involved some "far out" stuff. Not being into "sci-fi," that stuff was rather foreign to me, and brought doubts to my mind regarding the legitimacy of all Scripture. After the subway ride, I would then take a bus from the subway station, and then I would have a bit of a walk from the bus stop to my parent's house. So after that subway reading I had the bus ride, and I was kind of out of it thinking about what I had read. Then I had the walk from the bus stop where I was really thinking about what I had read. Coming out of the woods I had to go through, I looked up to see a grand rainbow. A rainbow had been something that I knew God had used to reach out to me in the past. It had become a sign from God for me. (Whenever I see a rainbow now, I say the Lord's Prayer.) The cool thing was that it was a really sunny day. I was not even expecting a rainbow. I knew that God gave that rainbow for me that evening to comfort me. And comforted I was.
Hunter Irvine
Jude application
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to myself?:
"Be merciful to those who doubt..."(Jude 1:22)(NIV)
It always helps me to do this if I remember what was going on with me before I was a follower of Jesus. Even after Jesus was reaching out to me, and even after I developed a private belief in the existence of God and the existence of the "Son" Jesus, I was not trusting Him. That only happened after I gave my heart to Jesus.
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to my community?:
As I near the end of my project here, I think of things I have not talked about here. Yet this is my personal introduction to others of the New Testament, and not a commentary. But one thing to say here is that right now, I can not show people my friend Jesus. I recognize that when I am talking about my best friend, I am talking about someone that no one, not even me, can physically see. Once I spoke at a chapel service for a Christian High School. I told them how we can not physically see Jesus, yet a person believes in Him, a person can know Him.
To know Jesus requires relying on the witness of Jesus in the Scripture, and it requires relying on the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart, though unseen. That is why we need faith. Yet it is not blind faith! We have the Scripture! We have a history of God working in the lives of Christians, true believers. We have the Holy Spirit even today.
The fact is I would never dare to do a speaking engagement where I told the Gospel if I did not have Jesus with me. Jesus is actually always with me! Yet He is only with me in Spirit. And there have been brief times when I wondered if he had gone to be with somebody else. Dealing with Jesus who is unseen has challenges for everyone. Yet for me being someone who is a very "spiritual" person, I must remember that there are doubters who need understanding, yet who also need to be told the truth about Jesus the Messiah.
Hunter Irvine
"Be merciful to those who doubt..."(Jude 1:22)(NIV)
It always helps me to do this if I remember what was going on with me before I was a follower of Jesus. Even after Jesus was reaching out to me, and even after I developed a private belief in the existence of God and the existence of the "Son" Jesus, I was not trusting Him. That only happened after I gave my heart to Jesus.
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to my community?:
As I near the end of my project here, I think of things I have not talked about here. Yet this is my personal introduction to others of the New Testament, and not a commentary. But one thing to say here is that right now, I can not show people my friend Jesus. I recognize that when I am talking about my best friend, I am talking about someone that no one, not even me, can physically see. Once I spoke at a chapel service for a Christian High School. I told them how we can not physically see Jesus, yet a person believes in Him, a person can know Him.
To know Jesus requires relying on the witness of Jesus in the Scripture, and it requires relying on the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart, though unseen. That is why we need faith. Yet it is not blind faith! We have the Scripture! We have a history of God working in the lives of Christians, true believers. We have the Holy Spirit even today.
The fact is I would never dare to do a speaking engagement where I told the Gospel if I did not have Jesus with me. Jesus is actually always with me! Yet He is only with me in Spirit. And there have been brief times when I wondered if he had gone to be with somebody else. Dealing with Jesus who is unseen has challenges for everyone. Yet for me being someone who is a very "spiritual" person, I must remember that there are doubters who need understanding, yet who also need to be told the truth about Jesus the Messiah.
Hunter Irvine
Jude background
Jude
Author: Jude
See Reflection
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 65 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown
Purpose: An urging to "contend for the faith" in the midst of people who are working to deceive people about the true identity of Jesus, and to deceive people about the grace of God.
What kind of book?: A general epistle with a specific lesson.
Reflection: This is a similar reflection as the one I wrote for James, because the argument is tied together. The popular assumption that the author of Jude and James were the "brothers" (they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume the authors of Jude are the "brothers" because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why Jude would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle? Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostle authorship, since had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, I think it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. But I add that these two books were doubted by some early church historians as to whether they were authentic Scripture.
Hunter Irvine
(1) See [Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938).
{Note: The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the full authority, and working to interpret according to the original intent of the author, rather than having anything to do with politics.}
Author: Jude
See Reflection
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 65 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown
Purpose: An urging to "contend for the faith" in the midst of people who are working to deceive people about the true identity of Jesus, and to deceive people about the grace of God.
What kind of book?: A general epistle with a specific lesson.
Reflection: This is a similar reflection as the one I wrote for James, because the argument is tied together. The popular assumption that the author of Jude and James were the "brothers" (they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume the authors of Jude are the "brothers" because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why Jude would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle? Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostle authorship, since had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, I think it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. But I add that these two books were doubted by some early church historians as to whether they were authentic Scripture.
Hunter Irvine
(1) See [Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938).
{Note: The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the full authority, and working to interpret according to the original intent of the author, rather than having anything to do with politics.}
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
3 John application
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to myself?:
Boy I'll tell you, I have been following Jesus for eighteen years. The easy thing to do is contemplate how crummy churches are and how few people seem to really take the teachings of Jesus seriously. The easy thing to do is even get upset as some ministers even distort the teachings of Jesus. The hard thing to do is to do good yourself. I praise Jesus, the One who has enabled me to do good. Just today, I got to do three things that were good. Two of the three things may have really helped someone! God is good. I rely on Him to do good.
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to my community?:
Plenty in the community may think that "Christians" are fools, but most people notice when someone does something good.
Hunter Irvine
Boy I'll tell you, I have been following Jesus for eighteen years. The easy thing to do is contemplate how crummy churches are and how few people seem to really take the teachings of Jesus seriously. The easy thing to do is even get upset as some ministers even distort the teachings of Jesus. The hard thing to do is to do good yourself. I praise Jesus, the One who has enabled me to do good. Just today, I got to do three things that were good. Two of the three things may have really helped someone! God is good. I rely on Him to do good.
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to my community?:
Plenty in the community may think that "Christians" are fools, but most people notice when someone does something good.
Hunter Irvine
3 John background
3 John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: Encouragement to do what is good.
What kind of book?: Letter to his friend Gaius
Reflection: "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good"(3 John 11 NIV).
How do you "imitate" what is good. By having your heart changed so that it really is good.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: Encouragement to do what is good.
What kind of book?: Letter to his friend Gaius
Reflection: "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good"(3 John 11 NIV).
How do you "imitate" what is good. By having your heart changed so that it really is good.
Hunter Irvine
2 John application
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to myself?:
Sounds easy to simply obey the commands of Jesus. It is impossible without being enabled by Him who is good.
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to my community?:
Obedience to Jesus will impact a community, even if we never detect that.
Hunter Irvine
Sounds easy to simply obey the commands of Jesus. It is impossible without being enabled by Him who is good.
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to my community?:
Obedience to Jesus will impact a community, even if we never detect that.
Hunter Irvine
2 John background
2 John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 31
Purpose: Encouragement to obey the commands of Jesus.
What kind of book?: Letter to "the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth..." (2 John 1 NIV).
Reflection: This letter gives a teaching of Jesus which John recorded Jesus stating in John 14:15 and in John 15:17. I once asked a youth group, "Why is it loving Jesus to obey Jesus?" The answer to that is the fact that obeying the commands of Jesus always result in true love. If your friend said, "If you really loved me, you would obey me." Well that is not the case if the friend ever gave a command that did not result in doing God's will. The commands of Jesus are God's will, and the result is always good.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 31
Purpose: Encouragement to obey the commands of Jesus.
What kind of book?: Letter to "the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth..." (2 John 1 NIV).
Reflection: This letter gives a teaching of Jesus which John recorded Jesus stating in John 14:15 and in John 15:17. I once asked a youth group, "Why is it loving Jesus to obey Jesus?" The answer to that is the fact that obeying the commands of Jesus always result in true love. If your friend said, "If you really loved me, you would obey me." Well that is not the case if the friend ever gave a command that did not result in doing God's will. The commands of Jesus are God's will, and the result is always good.
Hunter Irvine
I John application
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to myself?
I believed in Jesus, giving Him my heart, on April 15, 1990, receiving His atonement for sins.
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to my community?
Tell them that Jesus died as the Atonement, which is the substitute for the consequence of sin, spiritual death, for them!
Hunter Irvine
I believed in Jesus, giving Him my heart, on April 15, 1990, receiving His atonement for sins.
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to my community?
Tell them that Jesus died as the Atonement, which is the substitute for the consequence of sin, spiritual death, for them!
Hunter Irvine
I John background
I John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: That people would believe in Jesus, and for those who believe in Jesus, that they would obey Him.
What kind of book?: General epistle
Reflection: "[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world"(I John 2:2 NIV).
Jesus died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins of everyone. Yet what He did needs to be receive. Receiving the atonement of Jesus is a choice, as He taught. How do you receive? By believing in Jesus. I am going to do something I have never done in this entire journal, but which I do most of the time in my personal journal, which is to say a prayer. + Thank you Jesus for being the atoning sacrifice for my sins, the reason that I can be with you forever! It is through Your Name Holy Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: That people would believe in Jesus, and for those who believe in Jesus, that they would obey Him.
What kind of book?: General epistle
Reflection: "[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world"(I John 2:2 NIV).
Jesus died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins of everyone. Yet what He did needs to be receive. Receiving the atonement of Jesus is a choice, as He taught. How do you receive? By believing in Jesus. I am going to do something I have never done in this entire journal, but which I do most of the time in my personal journal, which is to say a prayer. + Thank you Jesus for being the atoning sacrifice for my sins, the reason that I can be with you forever! It is through Your Name Holy Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
2 Peter application
Regarding 2 Peter, how do I apply this to myself?
Learn from those who were eyewitnesses!
Regarding 2 Peter, who do I apply this to my community?
Be an eyewitness! I love my testimony, but I also have numerous testimonies that I can share when they fit the context of the occasion. And I can direct people to the eyewitnesses of people like the Apostle Peter.
Hunter Irvine
Learn from those who were eyewitnesses!
Regarding 2 Peter, who do I apply this to my community?
Be an eyewitness! I love my testimony, but I also have numerous testimonies that I can share when they fit the context of the occasion. And I can direct people to the eyewitnesses of people like the Apostle Peter.
Hunter Irvine
2 Peter background
2 Peter
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: There is indication that it was soon before his death, so maybe 67 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To encourage people as an eyewitness of the life of Jesus when He was physically in this world. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(2 Peter 1:16 NIV).
What kind of book?: A general letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Again, why all of this authorship research is important. If a person is inspired by the Holy Spirit, he could know something that happened to Jesus even if he was not there. Yet the more people get away from eyewitness accounts, the more people can claim that the information recorded in the "Holy Bible" is inaccurate. Yet the New Testament is full of eyewitness accounts indeed. Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus, members of the Twelve. Mark and Luke recorded much history having been directly told accounts by eyewitnesses. Paul never saw Jesus when Jesus was in this world, yet He had a direct encounter with Jesus after He ascended into heaven, an unusual encounter, appropriate since Paul was an unusual guy, as can be seen from his statement in Philippians 3:5. James & Jude were eyewitnesses, whether you take them to be the ones who grew up with Jesus, or two of the Twelve. And here is Peter, whom I have heard numerous ministers talk about, and even criticize, yet I do not recall a minister ever "quoting Peter." 2 Peter 1:16 is a quote to always remember!
Hunter Irvine
(1) See Samuel Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing 1938), 174.
Note: Conservative as in Biblically conservative as in giving the text full authority and working to translate in accordance with the original intention, rather than having anything to do with politics.
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: There is indication that it was soon before his death, so maybe 67 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To encourage people as an eyewitness of the life of Jesus when He was physically in this world. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(2 Peter 1:16 NIV).
What kind of book?: A general letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Again, why all of this authorship research is important. If a person is inspired by the Holy Spirit, he could know something that happened to Jesus even if he was not there. Yet the more people get away from eyewitness accounts, the more people can claim that the information recorded in the "Holy Bible" is inaccurate. Yet the New Testament is full of eyewitness accounts indeed. Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus, members of the Twelve. Mark and Luke recorded much history having been directly told accounts by eyewitnesses. Paul never saw Jesus when Jesus was in this world, yet He had a direct encounter with Jesus after He ascended into heaven, an unusual encounter, appropriate since Paul was an unusual guy, as can be seen from his statement in Philippians 3:5. James & Jude were eyewitnesses, whether you take them to be the ones who grew up with Jesus, or two of the Twelve. And here is Peter, whom I have heard numerous ministers talk about, and even criticize, yet I do not recall a minister ever "quoting Peter." 2 Peter 1:16 is a quote to always remember!
Hunter Irvine
(1) See Samuel Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing 1938), 174.
Note: Conservative as in Biblically conservative as in giving the text full authority and working to translate in accordance with the original intention, rather than having anything to do with politics.
Monday, December 8, 2008
1 Peter application
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to myself?:
"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us"(1 Peter 2:12)(NIV). [Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.]
Once I had a speaking engagement at a retirement community, which I will not specify, about my backpacking journey on the Appalachian Trail. I had given the same talk in over thirty retirement communities, yet I was excited about speaking at such a large retirement community. Since I turned to Jesus near the beginning of my Appalachian Trail hike, which I consider the greatest event of my life, let alone the ultimate blessing during my hike, I always ended my talk, after the question and answer session, making a statement that we all need love, and that Jesus offers love. then I would sing, "Restore," by Sherri Youngward.
I thought my speaking engagement there went well, and I was given some compliments afterwards as I talked with folks for awhile. Then I went to the office, because I wanted to say thank you to the Activities Director who had booked me for the talk. She was standing in the office, holding a stack of papers. She had not attended the talk, but she had talked with a few people who came out of my talk. She told me that many people said they liked it, except there was one complaint about the "religious part." Such a comment brought a sinking feeling after I had just given my heart to those folks. I responded that I always mention God because He was a key part of my journey. I should have left it at that, but then I stated, using a word I never use, "Before the Appalachian Trail, I was a pagan." Right after saying this, the woman got a shocked look on her face and dropped all of her papers on the floor. I helped her pick them up. Yet I probably will not be invited back.
Pagan is not a popular vocabulary word to use in our culture. And the current definition does not completely fit who I was before I turned to Christ. I was an Eagle Scout. I was a Resident Advisor at Virginia Tech. I was not a murder, thief, or other type of criminal, and I was not even a meddler, as is discussed in I Peter 4:15. Yet I also was not doing God's will. God's will is what is truly good. And that includes the first point of loving people, even when the odds are high that criticism is going to result! I do God's will now, and I say, "Praise by to God."
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to my community?:
Jesus died for every single person who had lived and died on this planet before he came. Going back to my speaking engagement illustration, does everyone in retirement communities know this. Once I gave that same talk at the Meridian which is near Kipling and Colfax. To make a long story short, after I sang "Restore," I opened my eyes to see the tears in the eyes of a gentleman who had been sitting in the corner.
Hunter Irvine
"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us"(1 Peter 2:12)(NIV). [Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.]
Once I had a speaking engagement at a retirement community, which I will not specify, about my backpacking journey on the Appalachian Trail. I had given the same talk in over thirty retirement communities, yet I was excited about speaking at such a large retirement community. Since I turned to Jesus near the beginning of my Appalachian Trail hike, which I consider the greatest event of my life, let alone the ultimate blessing during my hike, I always ended my talk, after the question and answer session, making a statement that we all need love, and that Jesus offers love. then I would sing, "Restore," by Sherri Youngward.
I thought my speaking engagement there went well, and I was given some compliments afterwards as I talked with folks for awhile. Then I went to the office, because I wanted to say thank you to the Activities Director who had booked me for the talk. She was standing in the office, holding a stack of papers. She had not attended the talk, but she had talked with a few people who came out of my talk. She told me that many people said they liked it, except there was one complaint about the "religious part." Such a comment brought a sinking feeling after I had just given my heart to those folks. I responded that I always mention God because He was a key part of my journey. I should have left it at that, but then I stated, using a word I never use, "Before the Appalachian Trail, I was a pagan." Right after saying this, the woman got a shocked look on her face and dropped all of her papers on the floor. I helped her pick them up. Yet I probably will not be invited back.
Pagan is not a popular vocabulary word to use in our culture. And the current definition does not completely fit who I was before I turned to Christ. I was an Eagle Scout. I was a Resident Advisor at Virginia Tech. I was not a murder, thief, or other type of criminal, and I was not even a meddler, as is discussed in I Peter 4:15. Yet I also was not doing God's will. God's will is what is truly good. And that includes the first point of loving people, even when the odds are high that criticism is going to result! I do God's will now, and I say, "Praise by to God."
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to my community?:
Jesus died for every single person who had lived and died on this planet before he came. Going back to my speaking engagement illustration, does everyone in retirement communities know this. Once I gave that same talk at the Meridian which is near Kipling and Colfax. To make a long story short, after I sang "Restore," I opened my eyes to see the tears in the eyes of a gentleman who had been sitting in the corner.
Hunter Irvine
1 Peter background
1 Peter
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 1, and Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 8.
Date: 64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably Rome (being coined Babylon)
Purpose: To encourage the believers to trust the Lord.
What kind of book?: Letter to Jewish followers of Jesus in specific areas that he lists.
Reflection: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God"(I Peter 3:18 NIV).
Because Jesus died as the "substitute" for sins, eternal life is gained by those who believe in Jesus.
+If you would like, please see my commentary on I Peter here on this blog in 2013!+
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 1, and Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 8.
Date: 64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably Rome (being coined Babylon)
Purpose: To encourage the believers to trust the Lord.
What kind of book?: Letter to Jewish followers of Jesus in specific areas that he lists.
Reflection: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God"(I Peter 3:18 NIV).
Because Jesus died as the "substitute" for sins, eternal life is gained by those who believe in Jesus.
+If you would like, please see my commentary on I Peter here on this blog in 2013!+
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Sunday, December 7, 2008
James application
Regarding James, how do I apply this to myself?
"Everyone should be...slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James1:19)(NIV).
The first time I ever gave my testimony, I discussed this verse, since anger is a part of my testimony. Though I do not dwell on it to such a degree in my written testimony, the fact is I had two parents with anger, and then they divorced, which I reacted to with anger. Thus when I turned to Jesus, I had anger. Though soon after I turned to Jesus I felt as though certain anger had been removed, it was then a process of learning from Jesus to be enabled to forgive people. I also learned (I add this after taking a latter class at CCU) everyone gets angry, yet "blowing up" is a choice. It is a choice I use to make sometimes, and now it is my choice not to blow up!!
If you want to know how to get rid of entrenched anger and to be helped from lashing out, know Jesus, because He can enable any person to forgive any person, thus anger is gone. Anger will eat at you from the inside out, and I am thankful that Jesus has freed me.
Regarding James, who do I apply this to my community?
If I am slow to become angry, I will have better relationships in my community!
Hunter Irvine
"Everyone should be...slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James1:19)(NIV).
The first time I ever gave my testimony, I discussed this verse, since anger is a part of my testimony. Though I do not dwell on it to such a degree in my written testimony, the fact is I had two parents with anger, and then they divorced, which I reacted to with anger. Thus when I turned to Jesus, I had anger. Though soon after I turned to Jesus I felt as though certain anger had been removed, it was then a process of learning from Jesus to be enabled to forgive people. I also learned (I add this after taking a latter class at CCU) everyone gets angry, yet "blowing up" is a choice. It is a choice I use to make sometimes, and now it is my choice not to blow up!!
If you want to know how to get rid of entrenched anger and to be helped from lashing out, know Jesus, because He can enable any person to forgive any person, thus anger is gone. Anger will eat at you from the inside out, and I am thankful that Jesus has freed me.
Regarding James, who do I apply this to my community?
If I am slow to become angry, I will have better relationships in my community!
Hunter Irvine
James background
James
Author: James
See Reflection.
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius, Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Not known
Purpose: To exhort the believer to good behavior, which is what God wants.
What kind of book?: Teaching Epistle to Jewish followers of Jesus wherever they happened to be.
Reflection: The popular assumption that the author of James & Jude were the "brothers"(they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume that because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus, whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why he would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle! Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostolic authorship, since I think that had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. Yet the early Christian historians had doubts about both of these books being Scripture in the first place, so maybe that is because they did not come from one of the Apostles. Professor Tafoya said that there still is a loose apostolic connection. That makes sense since the converted "brothers" of Jesus were eyewitness of Jesus, and it is documented by early historians that the "brother" of Jesus, James "the just" was the Bishop of the Jerusalem church until his being murdered.
[This is a similar reflection that I am going to use for Jude, because the argument is tied together.]
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: James
See Reflection.
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius, Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Not known
Purpose: To exhort the believer to good behavior, which is what God wants.
What kind of book?: Teaching Epistle to Jewish followers of Jesus wherever they happened to be.
Reflection: The popular assumption that the author of James & Jude were the "brothers"(they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume that because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus, whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why he would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle! Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostolic authorship, since I think that had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. Yet the early Christian historians had doubts about both of these books being Scripture in the first place, so maybe that is because they did not come from one of the Apostles. Professor Tafoya said that there still is a loose apostolic connection. That makes sense since the converted "brothers" of Jesus were eyewitness of Jesus, and it is documented by early historians that the "brother" of Jesus, James "the just" was the Bishop of the Jerusalem church until his being murdered.
[This is a similar reflection that I am going to use for Jude, because the argument is tied together.]
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Hebrews application
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to myself?
As a Gentile, I am in need of recognizing that the Messiah did not simply appear as the baby of a virgin Jewish woman. During a Bible study the other day I was reading Isaiah 7:14. "...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." That was written before 680 B.C. (I add this at a later date. My Old Testament Survey professor, who I like, argued that the word in Isaiah should translate as maiden, not virgin. Soon thereafter, I was browsing in a book at the Used Christian Bookstore in Littleton, which was written by a Jewish scholar. He said the modern argument that the word should not translate as virgin is wrong; it is a result of language revisionism. He said the traditional translation as virgin is correct.
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to my community?
Probably due to having a close friend who is Jewish in my youth, I have a heart for telling the Gospel to Jewish people. One follower of Jesus I really looked up to in my Christian infancy was a Jewish believer, Eddie Isler, who was the leader at the time of Career Fellowship, a blessed singles group in McLean, back in the 1990s.
Hunter Irvine
As a Gentile, I am in need of recognizing that the Messiah did not simply appear as the baby of a virgin Jewish woman. During a Bible study the other day I was reading Isaiah 7:14. "...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." That was written before 680 B.C. (I add this at a later date. My Old Testament Survey professor, who I like, argued that the word in Isaiah should translate as maiden, not virgin. Soon thereafter, I was browsing in a book at the Used Christian Bookstore in Littleton, which was written by a Jewish scholar. He said the modern argument that the word should not translate as virgin is wrong; it is a result of language revisionism. He said the traditional translation as virgin is correct.
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to my community?
Probably due to having a close friend who is Jewish in my youth, I have a heart for telling the Gospel to Jewish people. One follower of Jesus I really looked up to in my Christian infancy was a Jewish believer, Eddie Isler, who was the leader at the time of Career Fellowship, a blessed singles group in McLean, back in the 1990s.
Hunter Irvine
Hebrews background
Hebrews
Author: Unknown (1)
Date: 68 A.D. (2)
Language: Greek
Place: Italy (Hebrews 13:24)
Purpose: To explain that the covenant between God and the Israelites, often called the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was the mediator, which I like to call the "leading covenant," was used by God to lead to the "New Covenant," where Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for sins.
What kind of book?: Christian teaching letter
Reflection: I did a personal study of this book in Grand Junction, and I absolutely loved it, because it explains how Jesus did what He said He had come to do in Matthew 5:17. Jesus fulfilled the Law! Those who believe in Jesus, who is the Messiah, are no longer under the Mosaic Law, rather we are to live by the Spirit, the One who indwells those who have given their heart to Jesus!
Hunter Irvine
(1) On this topic, and regarding the entire book, see my blog commentary on Hebrews starting in April of 2014, and I also recommend a commentary from the 1970's by a longtime professor: Lightfoot, Neil R. Jesus Christ Today: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976).
(2) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 647.
Author: Unknown (1)
Date: 68 A.D. (2)
Language: Greek
Place: Italy (Hebrews 13:24)
Purpose: To explain that the covenant between God and the Israelites, often called the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was the mediator, which I like to call the "leading covenant," was used by God to lead to the "New Covenant," where Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for sins.
What kind of book?: Christian teaching letter
Reflection: I did a personal study of this book in Grand Junction, and I absolutely loved it, because it explains how Jesus did what He said He had come to do in Matthew 5:17. Jesus fulfilled the Law! Those who believe in Jesus, who is the Messiah, are no longer under the Mosaic Law, rather we are to live by the Spirit, the One who indwells those who have given their heart to Jesus!
Hunter Irvine
(1) On this topic, and regarding the entire book, see my blog commentary on Hebrews starting in April of 2014, and I also recommend a commentary from the 1970's by a longtime professor: Lightfoot, Neil R. Jesus Christ Today: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976).
(2) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 647.
Philemon application
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to myself?:
All people were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
I am to love all people.
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to my community?"
People in the larger community have a tendency to huddle up in their restrictive communities. I am to witness to people in any corner of the community where God has me for the day.
Hunter Irvine
All people were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
I am to love all people.
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to my community?"
People in the larger community have a tendency to huddle up in their restrictive communities. I am to witness to people in any corner of the community where God has me for the day.
Hunter Irvine
Philemon background
Philemon
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To inform a friend to love his slave Onesimus, who is his brother in Christ.
Professor Tafoya stated that he thinks that Paul is stating that the Onesimus should be freed, and that freedom is what Paul was willing to pay for.
What kind of letter?: Letter re: a special occasion.
Reflection: Dr. Keener - "A few philosophers said that slaves were equals as people, but they never suggested that masters should free their slaves"(2).
"So powerful was this precedent that many early U.S. slaveholders did not want their slaves to be exposed to Christianity, for fear that they would be compelled to free them; only in time was a distorted enough form of the Christian message available for use in sustaining slavery..."(3).
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
(2) Ibid. 643.
(3) Ibid. 643.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To inform a friend to love his slave Onesimus, who is his brother in Christ.
Professor Tafoya stated that he thinks that Paul is stating that the Onesimus should be freed, and that freedom is what Paul was willing to pay for.
What kind of letter?: Letter re: a special occasion.
Reflection: Dr. Keener - "A few philosophers said that slaves were equals as people, but they never suggested that masters should free their slaves"(2).
"So powerful was this precedent that many early U.S. slaveholders did not want their slaves to be exposed to Christianity, for fear that they would be compelled to free them; only in time was a distorted enough form of the Christian message available for use in sustaining slavery..."(3).
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
(2) Ibid. 643.
(3) Ibid. 643.
Titus application
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to myself?
Live the Golden Rule. The other day I dropped something in King Soopers that I was going to buy. I put it on the shelf, since it had been on the floor after all, and I was going to grab another one that had not been on the floor, that I knew about. But then I thought about the "Golden Rule." I bought the one that I had dropped.
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to my community?
A devoted follower of Jesus is unpopular in many work environments. Reading your Bible at lunch hour is enough to disturb certain employees or bosses. Something I discovered a long time ago, however, is that there is always a shortage of hard workers. I think the best compliment a worker can have is to be asked to come back to a job after you have resigned it. That has happened to me for three major jobs, and I accredit God with motivating me to work hard, which became part of my Christian witness. Once after I left my job as a paralegal, I was offered the job of my previous supervisor, Jim Stanko, by Jim who had been promoted, and now oversaw his old job position. He was in a Christian denomination, and not offended by my lunch Bible study or such. Yet even he asked me once to stop talking about religion with a fellow paralegal as we were getting into a serious discussion. Yet he knew I worked hard. Maybe he even knew that I did so because of my Christian ethic. If you have a job to do, do it well, and it will assist your Christian witness, even if there are some who will not notice.
Hunter Irvine
Live the Golden Rule. The other day I dropped something in King Soopers that I was going to buy. I put it on the shelf, since it had been on the floor after all, and I was going to grab another one that had not been on the floor, that I knew about. But then I thought about the "Golden Rule." I bought the one that I had dropped.
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to my community?
A devoted follower of Jesus is unpopular in many work environments. Reading your Bible at lunch hour is enough to disturb certain employees or bosses. Something I discovered a long time ago, however, is that there is always a shortage of hard workers. I think the best compliment a worker can have is to be asked to come back to a job after you have resigned it. That has happened to me for three major jobs, and I accredit God with motivating me to work hard, which became part of my Christian witness. Once after I left my job as a paralegal, I was offered the job of my previous supervisor, Jim Stanko, by Jim who had been promoted, and now oversaw his old job position. He was in a Christian denomination, and not offended by my lunch Bible study or such. Yet even he asked me once to stop talking about religion with a fellow paralegal as we were getting into a serious discussion. Yet he knew I worked hard. Maybe he even knew that I did so because of my Christian ethic. If you have a job to do, do it well, and it will assist your Christian witness, even if there are some who will not notice.
Hunter Irvine
Titus background
Titus
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: "This letter contains direction as to the type of church officer Titus should appoint in Crete, and the sort of Christian character he is trying to develop in the Cretan Church" (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re certain occasion
Reflection: For my U.S. History class, I am reading an autobiography by Frederick Douglass. I was reading it all day Saturday, (I actually wrote this during Thanksgiving break and I am now just typing it in) and all morning today. The horror of being a slave in America in the 1800's is made so clear by Frederick's personal story. Slavery is a sin, and my advice would be escape the sin if you could. How can Titus 2:9-10 possibly be reconciled in the face of the slavery story by Frederick Douglass?
I note some insight by Dr. Keener. "...one should recognize that Paul addresses instead the traditional Roman values of his day (including the household slavery of his day, which differed from many other societies' model of slavery) (3).
Professor Tafoya discussed how a number of "slaves" had that status upon agreement for paying off a debt that they owed to a person.
Back to Dr. Keener, "Minority religions were already viewed as subversive, and to counter this prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander." [Ibid. p.638]
Christians who have said that Paul's teachings show that God approves of slavery have always been wrong, taking this passage in Titus or the one in 1 Peter out of context!
Abraham Lincoln was right! "...he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave"(4).
That is what Christians call the "Golden Rule," which is the teaching by Jesus; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"(Matthew 7:12).
Whenever there is a moral issue that is in doubt, go to Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
(2) J.B. Phillips, Letter To Young Churches (London: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
(3) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downer's Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 637.
(4) Ralph G. Newman, ed., Lincoln For The Ages (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: "This letter contains direction as to the type of church officer Titus should appoint in Crete, and the sort of Christian character he is trying to develop in the Cretan Church" (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re certain occasion
Reflection: For my U.S. History class, I am reading an autobiography by Frederick Douglass. I was reading it all day Saturday, (I actually wrote this during Thanksgiving break and I am now just typing it in) and all morning today. The horror of being a slave in America in the 1800's is made so clear by Frederick's personal story. Slavery is a sin, and my advice would be escape the sin if you could. How can Titus 2:9-10 possibly be reconciled in the face of the slavery story by Frederick Douglass?
I note some insight by Dr. Keener. "...one should recognize that Paul addresses instead the traditional Roman values of his day (including the household slavery of his day, which differed from many other societies' model of slavery) (3).
Professor Tafoya discussed how a number of "slaves" had that status upon agreement for paying off a debt that they owed to a person.
Back to Dr. Keener, "Minority religions were already viewed as subversive, and to counter this prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander." [Ibid. p.638]
Christians who have said that Paul's teachings show that God approves of slavery have always been wrong, taking this passage in Titus or the one in 1 Peter out of context!
Abraham Lincoln was right! "...he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave"(4).
That is what Christians call the "Golden Rule," which is the teaching by Jesus; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"(Matthew 7:12).
Whenever there is a moral issue that is in doubt, go to Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
(2) J.B. Phillips, Letter To Young Churches (London: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
(3) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downer's Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 637.
(4) Ralph G. Newman, ed., Lincoln For The Ages (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
2 Timothy application
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to myself?:
As Paul encourages Timothy, I consistently need encouragement from God. Whenever I read the Scripture, I get encouragement to some degree from God!
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?:
How popular is studying the Bible these days? However popular it is, I realize it is my call to always convey the blessing of studying messages from God Almighty, which are revealed in the Bible.
Hunter Irvine
As Paul encourages Timothy, I consistently need encouragement from God. Whenever I read the Scripture, I get encouragement to some degree from God!
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?:
How popular is studying the Bible these days? However popular it is, I realize it is my call to always convey the blessing of studying messages from God Almighty, which are revealed in the Bible.
Hunter Irvine
2 Timothy background
2 Timothy
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: Encouraging Timothy to carry on with ministry work
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: The all important verse of 2 Timothy 3:16 states how Scripture is inspired. That was one of my Salt and Light Bible memory verses of course. Yet I note now the verse before it which is one that is likewise crucial. "...the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 3:15 NIV).
Through Jesus is the one way for salvation.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: Encouraging Timothy to carry on with ministry work
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: The all important verse of 2 Timothy 3:16 states how Scripture is inspired. That was one of my Salt and Light Bible memory verses of course. Yet I note now the verse before it which is one that is likewise crucial. "...the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 3:15 NIV).
Through Jesus is the one way for salvation.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
1 Timothy application
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to myself?
1 Timothy 4:12 has long been a verse of much importance to me, and still is even now that I am over 40 years of age. People say I look young, working with youth I get affiliated with the young, and I am single and celibate. Thus, people sometimes look down on me as young, and I often have not been treated with the same respect as peers. It is interesting that people in my church who are single and do not have children are treated with less respect than people who are married and have children, considering that Jesus was single, and did not have children. And of course there are always people in church who do not treat a person according to his or her character, rather they treat people according to other factors such as age or financial income. Yet how other folks interact with me is not to be my focus. Living in obedience to Jesus is my concern.
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?
When I was younger, there were people who recognized my life in the love of Christ. And there are people who still do.
Hunter Irvine
1 Timothy 4:12 has long been a verse of much importance to me, and still is even now that I am over 40 years of age. People say I look young, working with youth I get affiliated with the young, and I am single and celibate. Thus, people sometimes look down on me as young, and I often have not been treated with the same respect as peers. It is interesting that people in my church who are single and do not have children are treated with less respect than people who are married and have children, considering that Jesus was single, and did not have children. And of course there are always people in church who do not treat a person according to his or her character, rather they treat people according to other factors such as age or financial income. Yet how other folks interact with me is not to be my focus. Living in obedience to Jesus is my concern.
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?
When I was younger, there were people who recognized my life in the love of Christ. And there are people who still do.
Hunter Irvine
1 Timothy background
1 Timothy
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
(May have been written down by a Scribe.)
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Purpose: To instruct Timothy, a young minister in Ephesus.
What kind of book?: Letter with "pastoral" instruction.
Reflection: In this letter, Paul states, "I do not permit a woman to teach..."(I Timothy 2:12 NIV). The key word is "I." For a culture that discriminated against women, Paul is giving a specific personal command, not a permanent command from God.
Jesus calls women to be ministers according to their calling just like men, or he would have had Martha and Mary at work in the kitchen. A number of Christians think women cannot be "ordained" as ministers due to specific statements by Paul in Epistles for women to refrain from doing anything in church. However, if those church leaders were to follow the letter of what Paul states, then women could not even teach Sunday school. Paul gives a number of personal commands and context specific demands, and to distinguish them from moral commands, the context of the passage must be carefully, examined, very carefully.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
(May have been written down by a Scribe.)
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Purpose: To instruct Timothy, a young minister in Ephesus.
What kind of book?: Letter with "pastoral" instruction.
Reflection: In this letter, Paul states, "I do not permit a woman to teach..."(I Timothy 2:12 NIV). The key word is "I." For a culture that discriminated against women, Paul is giving a specific personal command, not a permanent command from God.
Jesus calls women to be ministers according to their calling just like men, or he would have had Martha and Mary at work in the kitchen. A number of Christians think women cannot be "ordained" as ministers due to specific statements by Paul in Epistles for women to refrain from doing anything in church. However, if those church leaders were to follow the letter of what Paul states, then women could not even teach Sunday school. Paul gives a number of personal commands and context specific demands, and to distinguish them from moral commands, the context of the passage must be carefully, examined, very carefully.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
2 Thessalonians application
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to myself?
I look forward to the day that Jesus comes to take me home!
I am thankful to be His worker at this time, even though it is a rough journey.
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?
I use to be a member of an Episcopal church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have left the Episcopal/Anglican denomination for some doctrinal reasons I consider important, however I still have friends who are Episcopal and Anglican. Praise be to God, I have friends in oodles of denominations. I now choose a church based on the church, not the denominational, though there are certain denominations I would not join as a member. I say all of this as a preface to a story of when I was at that church which had a wonderful "Alpha" program. The person who was in charge of it was enthusiastic about the program. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but I felt he got completely carried away as he would make announcements during the church announcement time for the next session of Alpha months in advance. One time it was early summer, and sure enough, he raised his hands during the announcements and talked about the "Alpha" program that was coming up in the fall. Listening to the assuredness with which he talked about the upcoming program in the distant months, I amusingly thought to myself, "[He] definitely does not believe that Jesus could come back at any time." So as he continued to make the announcement Sunday after Sunday that summer, it became a personal joke for me. Yet one day I was praying to God, and we somehow got on the topic of the man's announcements, and I thought about my personal joke, thinking that the man does not think the return of Christ is imminent, and then I had a thought that I know came from God; "Do you?" That got my attention. I had not thought about that. No, I did not. From that time on, I quit my personal joke, yet I was convicted Jesus will return as He promised, at a time determined by the Father, and there will be people who are not anticipating it.
Hunter Irvine
I look forward to the day that Jesus comes to take me home!
I am thankful to be His worker at this time, even though it is a rough journey.
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?
I use to be a member of an Episcopal church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have left the Episcopal/Anglican denomination for some doctrinal reasons I consider important, however I still have friends who are Episcopal and Anglican. Praise be to God, I have friends in oodles of denominations. I now choose a church based on the church, not the denominational, though there are certain denominations I would not join as a member. I say all of this as a preface to a story of when I was at that church which had a wonderful "Alpha" program. The person who was in charge of it was enthusiastic about the program. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but I felt he got completely carried away as he would make announcements during the church announcement time for the next session of Alpha months in advance. One time it was early summer, and sure enough, he raised his hands during the announcements and talked about the "Alpha" program that was coming up in the fall. Listening to the assuredness with which he talked about the upcoming program in the distant months, I amusingly thought to myself, "[He] definitely does not believe that Jesus could come back at any time." So as he continued to make the announcement Sunday after Sunday that summer, it became a personal joke for me. Yet one day I was praying to God, and we somehow got on the topic of the man's announcements, and I thought about my personal joke, thinking that the man does not think the return of Christ is imminent, and then I had a thought that I know came from God; "Do you?" That got my attention. I had not thought about that. No, I did not. From that time on, I quit my personal joke, yet I was convicted Jesus will return as He promised, at a time determined by the Father, and there will be people who are not anticipating it.
Hunter Irvine
2 Thessalonians background
2 Thessalonians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 51 (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: Some people thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent, thus they quit their occupations. Paul tells them to carry on with work.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a certain occasion
Reflection: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"(Matthew 24:36 NIV).
Yet there is consistently someone who gets notoriety for stating that the time will be during this year or that. Yes, I think the ripeness of the fig tree for the conclusion of the `last days' (not the end times) was evident with the Holocaust. Six million people were murdered, a horror beyond human comprehension. Yet remember that a thousand years is like a day for God, thus it is trying to play God by pinpointing the time of his Second Coming.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 51 (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: Some people thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent, thus they quit their occupations. Paul tells them to carry on with work.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a certain occasion
Reflection: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"(Matthew 24:36 NIV).
Yet there is consistently someone who gets notoriety for stating that the time will be during this year or that. Yes, I think the ripeness of the fig tree for the conclusion of the `last days' (not the end times) was evident with the Holocaust. Six million people were murdered, a horror beyond human comprehension. Yet remember that a thousand years is like a day for God, thus it is trying to play God by pinpointing the time of his Second Coming.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
1 Thessalonians application
Regarding 1 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to myself?:
Thanks to the truth of 1 Thessalonians 4:9, I can always praise Jesus.
Regarding 1 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Back in 1998 and 1999, there was a woman who worked at the Family Christian Stores (registered trademark) on 88th Avenue which is now in "Broomfield," Colorado, though it is right across 88th from Arvada. Having lived in Arvada for seven and a half years, I went there much, and I made several friends of the people working there, especially in the first few years after I moved to Arvada. So this woman who worked there back in the late 90's was a really hard worker, and she was extremely helpful to all of the customers. She was married, and just seemed super cool. She had this old car, though one that probably was in better shape than mine is now, with a bumper sticker that read, "In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned." That friendly woman seemed like someone who was already with Jesus. And people in the community probably learned that fact.
Hunter Irvine
Thanks to the truth of 1 Thessalonians 4:9, I can always praise Jesus.
Regarding 1 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Back in 1998 and 1999, there was a woman who worked at the Family Christian Stores (registered trademark) on 88th Avenue which is now in "Broomfield," Colorado, though it is right across 88th from Arvada. Having lived in Arvada for seven and a half years, I went there much, and I made several friends of the people working there, especially in the first few years after I moved to Arvada. So this woman who worked there back in the late 90's was a really hard worker, and she was extremely helpful to all of the customers. She was married, and just seemed super cool. She had this old car, though one that probably was in better shape than mine is now, with a bumper sticker that read, "In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned." That friendly woman seemed like someone who was already with Jesus. And people in the community probably learned that fact.
Hunter Irvine
1 Thessalonians background
1 Thessalonians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: About 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: To encourage and instruct Christians in the midst of persecution.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: I Thessalonians 4:16-17 is a verse with varied interpretations. I personally interpret this passage to teach a "rapture," because Paul leads into the statement by talking about the resurrection of Christ. Jesus, who was resurrected, later ascended into heaven, as is clearly shown in Acts. Thus taking verse 17 literally is fitting to the context, rather than this being a metaphor for Christians meeting Jesus somewhere else.
Three key points need to be made. First, when Jesus returns, which in a sense is in two stages, it will not be unnoticed to anyone. Verse 16 reveals there will be "the trumpet call of God." Professor Tafoya explained his conviction regarding this in (my New Testament) class, and I really agree with what he said.
Second, the first stage of the Second coming will be a surprise to those who are not waiting for it. I Thessalonians 5:1 teaches that the return of Jesus will be a surprise, and obviously the surprise element is for the first stage. Anyone who turns to Christ during the tribulation, which I think is meant to be a part of the last call by our loving God, will recognize that the second stage of Christ's return is going to follow the tribulation, as Christ enters the world in His glory.
So third, it only makes sense for the rapture to take place before the tribulation, otherwise, during the tribulation, Christians would come to realize they were in the tribulation period, and they would be expecting Jesus at the conclusion of it.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: About 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: To encourage and instruct Christians in the midst of persecution.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: I Thessalonians 4:16-17 is a verse with varied interpretations. I personally interpret this passage to teach a "rapture," because Paul leads into the statement by talking about the resurrection of Christ. Jesus, who was resurrected, later ascended into heaven, as is clearly shown in Acts. Thus taking verse 17 literally is fitting to the context, rather than this being a metaphor for Christians meeting Jesus somewhere else.
Three key points need to be made. First, when Jesus returns, which in a sense is in two stages, it will not be unnoticed to anyone. Verse 16 reveals there will be "the trumpet call of God." Professor Tafoya explained his conviction regarding this in (my New Testament) class, and I really agree with what he said.
Second, the first stage of the Second coming will be a surprise to those who are not waiting for it. I Thessalonians 5:1 teaches that the return of Jesus will be a surprise, and obviously the surprise element is for the first stage. Anyone who turns to Christ during the tribulation, which I think is meant to be a part of the last call by our loving God, will recognize that the second stage of Christ's return is going to follow the tribulation, as Christ enters the world in His glory.
So third, it only makes sense for the rapture to take place before the tribulation, otherwise, during the tribulation, Christians would come to realize they were in the tribulation period, and they would be expecting Jesus at the conclusion of it.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Colossians application
Regarding Colossians, how do I apply this to myself?:
Since I am on a roll telling about friends from Salt and Light from The Falls Church back when I was only a lad in Christ, I'll tell about Rae. I liked Rae the first time I ever met him. He was a different person than I, yet he seemed like a sincere and nice guy. Rae and I were both on an unofficial Salt and Light retreat once to Assateque Island, and he had driven me to the campout, and he was my ride home. We stayed at the beach after everyone else had left, since he flew the cool kite. He let me try it, and showed me how to maneuver it, but I crashed it. On the way home, we were talking, and Rae said something that shocked me. He said that Jesus was God. I had always thought of Jesus as the "Son of God." I was offended a bit. I do not know if I was more standoffish with Rae that fall. But then on Christmas Eve, I got a ride to The Falls Church for the special service. Yet then I needed to try and get a ride home on that cold night. Rae found out I was looking for a ride home and gladly took me home. That act alone made me think very highly of Rae, and I was more open to take into consideration what he had said. I finally came to learn that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three Persons, yet One Being, One God. To learn this, you have to examine how each One is described in the Scripture. Jesus is Immanuel, which means God with us.
Regarding Colossians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Tell people about Jesus like Rae told me.
Hunter Irvine
Since I am on a roll telling about friends from Salt and Light from The Falls Church back when I was only a lad in Christ, I'll tell about Rae. I liked Rae the first time I ever met him. He was a different person than I, yet he seemed like a sincere and nice guy. Rae and I were both on an unofficial Salt and Light retreat once to Assateque Island, and he had driven me to the campout, and he was my ride home. We stayed at the beach after everyone else had left, since he flew the cool kite. He let me try it, and showed me how to maneuver it, but I crashed it. On the way home, we were talking, and Rae said something that shocked me. He said that Jesus was God. I had always thought of Jesus as the "Son of God." I was offended a bit. I do not know if I was more standoffish with Rae that fall. But then on Christmas Eve, I got a ride to The Falls Church for the special service. Yet then I needed to try and get a ride home on that cold night. Rae found out I was looking for a ride home and gladly took me home. That act alone made me think very highly of Rae, and I was more open to take into consideration what he had said. I finally came to learn that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three Persons, yet One Being, One God. To learn this, you have to examine how each One is described in the Scripture. Jesus is Immanuel, which means God with us.
Regarding Colossians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Tell people about Jesus like Rae told me.
Hunter Irvine
Colossians background
Colossians
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: about 62 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: From Rome while in prison
Purpose: "This letter is plainly written to refute the false teaching which was poisoning the church life at Colossae." (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: The identity of Jesus is crucial because if you are going to follow Jesus at His request, you need to know who He is.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 119.
(2) Ibid.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: about 62 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: From Rome while in prison
Purpose: "This letter is plainly written to refute the false teaching which was poisoning the church life at Colossae." (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: The identity of Jesus is crucial because if you are going to follow Jesus at His request, you need to know who He is.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 119.
(2) Ibid.
Phillipians application
Regarding Phillipians, how do I apply this to myself?:
When pondering Phillipians, I normally think about an email that was sent to me by a sister-in-Christ when I was on a tough business trip in April of 1994. The note contained Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV). One thing is for sure in reading this passage: even if there seems nothing before us that is excellent to think about, we can always think about God.
Regarding Phillipians, how do I apply this to my community?:
When I was on the Leadership Team of Salt and Light, we had to memorize a bunch of Bible verses. Being a rather new Christian, it was challenging, yet I committed to it, though in doing the rope memorization I was often not soaking in the meaning. One weekend, I really wanted to get away. I drove to Blacksburg, Virginia, and attended the Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse game. That night I camped in a field in National Forest land. By flashlight I read and memorized Philippians 4:6-7. I am thankful that I have this verse memorized. Bible memorization is great, though I do not think it should be forced on people, and memorization does not mean you understand it in your heart. What separates Scripture from other writings is that God always has a message for your heart, and that is what you must have for goodness!
Hunter Irvine
When pondering Phillipians, I normally think about an email that was sent to me by a sister-in-Christ when I was on a tough business trip in April of 1994. The note contained Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV). One thing is for sure in reading this passage: even if there seems nothing before us that is excellent to think about, we can always think about God.
Regarding Phillipians, how do I apply this to my community?:
When I was on the Leadership Team of Salt and Light, we had to memorize a bunch of Bible verses. Being a rather new Christian, it was challenging, yet I committed to it, though in doing the rope memorization I was often not soaking in the meaning. One weekend, I really wanted to get away. I drove to Blacksburg, Virginia, and attended the Virginia Tech vs. Syracuse game. That night I camped in a field in National Forest land. By flashlight I read and memorized Philippians 4:6-7. I am thankful that I have this verse memorized. Bible memorization is great, though I do not think it should be forced on people, and memorization does not mean you understand it in your heart. What separates Scripture from other writings is that God always has a message for your heart, and that is what you must have for goodness!
Hunter Irvine
Phillipians background
Philippians
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: About 62 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: While imprisoned in Rome (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To acknowledge a gift, and to encourage the believers in Christ.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: We can have joy for the reason that God is faithful.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 100.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: About 62 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: While imprisoned in Rome (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To acknowledge a gift, and to encourage the believers in Christ.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: We can have joy for the reason that God is faithful.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 100.
Ephesians application
Regarding Ephesians, how do I apply this to myself?:
"...Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit..." (Ephesians 1:13 NIV).
I was baptized with water by an ordained minister when I was only about seven weeks old. However, I was not sealed with the Holy Spirit at that time. This Scripture teaches you are sealed by the Holy Spirit when you believe! That is when the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place, the baptizer being Jesus! It is not a work of man, rather a work of God.
Regarding Ephesians, how do I apply this to my community?
Whenever I hear the last passage of Ephesians, "the armor of God," I think of a piece I read once by my sister in Christ, Kathy Kellogg. When I was a new Christian, and began to get involved with a special singles group, Salt and Light at The Falls Church, there was a woman who served there who was always nice to me. As someone who was still evaluating "church people," Kathy made a special impression on me. As I started to do more with the group, she was starting to do less with the group, yet I got to know her a little more as a friend in church. I really did see her as a "big" sister (though I think I was five days older) because of her Christian maturity. Along with her Christian maturity was a zeal for living. She took me to a baseball game in Baltimore once when her date was unable to make it. We had a super great time. I remember dancing with her as we tried to get on the jumbo tron.
Concerning the armor of God passage, when I first heard that, it sounded weird to me. I thought of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, and the military analogies seemed out of place. Then one month, Kathy wrote the main piece for our singles group newsletter. It was a piece on the "armor of God." Here was a woman, who worked for a senator, who wrote about that passage as if she suited up in that armor every morning. When the plane crashed in 1996 which was carrying a number of people from the Commerce Department on it including Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce, Kathy was on that plane, and she physically died. When I went to the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base where they took the caskets off of the cargo plane one by one, it was too much for me to think that Kathy's mutilated body was in one of those caskets. Kathy was someone who loved Jesus. She was someone who realized that the Bible was completely true (she was the first person to ever convey that to me). And she was someone who spiritually suited up in Christ's love, and is in that Love forever.
Hunter Irvine
"...Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit..." (Ephesians 1:13 NIV).
I was baptized with water by an ordained minister when I was only about seven weeks old. However, I was not sealed with the Holy Spirit at that time. This Scripture teaches you are sealed by the Holy Spirit when you believe! That is when the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place, the baptizer being Jesus! It is not a work of man, rather a work of God.
Regarding Ephesians, how do I apply this to my community?
Whenever I hear the last passage of Ephesians, "the armor of God," I think of a piece I read once by my sister in Christ, Kathy Kellogg. When I was a new Christian, and began to get involved with a special singles group, Salt and Light at The Falls Church, there was a woman who served there who was always nice to me. As someone who was still evaluating "church people," Kathy made a special impression on me. As I started to do more with the group, she was starting to do less with the group, yet I got to know her a little more as a friend in church. I really did see her as a "big" sister (though I think I was five days older) because of her Christian maturity. Along with her Christian maturity was a zeal for living. She took me to a baseball game in Baltimore once when her date was unable to make it. We had a super great time. I remember dancing with her as we tried to get on the jumbo tron.
Concerning the armor of God passage, when I first heard that, it sounded weird to me. I thought of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, and the military analogies seemed out of place. Then one month, Kathy wrote the main piece for our singles group newsletter. It was a piece on the "armor of God." Here was a woman, who worked for a senator, who wrote about that passage as if she suited up in that armor every morning. When the plane crashed in 1996 which was carrying a number of people from the Commerce Department on it including Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce, Kathy was on that plane, and she physically died. When I went to the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base where they took the caskets off of the cargo plane one by one, it was too much for me to think that Kathy's mutilated body was in one of those caskets. Kathy was someone who loved Jesus. She was someone who realized that the Bible was completely true (she was the first person to ever convey that to me). And she was someone who spiritually suited up in Christ's love, and is in that Love forever.
Hunter Irvine
Ephesians background
Ephesians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius: Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: About 62 A.D.
Language: Greek
Place: While imprisoned in Rome (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To encourage the believers in Christ.
What kind of book?: Letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Some say Paul did not write this letter, yet he even states "I, Paul" in the middle of the letter at the start of Chapter 3. And the "household code" seems like just the kind of thing Paul would put in a letter to Christians whose roots were the paternal Jewish culture, (though sometimes sexist back then I must add) yet who were surrounded by Gentiles who were decimating the institution of the family.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 100.
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius: Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: About 62 A.D.
Language: Greek
Place: While imprisoned in Rome (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To encourage the believers in Christ.
What kind of book?: Letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Some say Paul did not write this letter, yet he even states "I, Paul" in the middle of the letter at the start of Chapter 3. And the "household code" seems like just the kind of thing Paul would put in a letter to Christians whose roots were the paternal Jewish culture, (though sometimes sexist back then I must add) yet who were surrounded by Gentiles who were decimating the institution of the family.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 100.
Galatians application
Regarding Galatians, how do I apply this to myself?:
Many years ago, as I was on my way to work, I was thinking about doing something I knew I should not do as I walked through the tunnel at the subway station near my basement apartment. On the second escalator, I prayed that I would not do it. I was enabled not to so that day by God.
Regarding Galatians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Paul's instructions make it clear that I do not need to act "religious," rather I need to be loving. And the most loving thing a person can do is witness for Jesus, who is Love.
Hunter Irvine
Many years ago, as I was on my way to work, I was thinking about doing something I knew I should not do as I walked through the tunnel at the subway station near my basement apartment. On the second escalator, I prayed that I would not do it. I was enabled not to so that day by God.
Regarding Galatians, how do I apply this to my community?:
Paul's instructions make it clear that I do not need to act "religious," rather I need to be loving. And the most loving thing a person can do is witness for Jesus, who is Love.
Hunter Irvine
Galatians background
Galatians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: 56 or 57 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably writing from Corinth (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: Some people convinced some Galatian Christians they had to still obey the Mosaic Law.
"Paul warns the Galatians that although they are free, as Christians, from the Law, yet their lives must exhibit the fruits of the inner law of love implanted by God's Spirit." (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: The Israelites were in a covenant with God, what is now termed the "Old Covenant." I like to refer to this as the "Leading Covenant!" Jesus offered the "New Covenant," which is available for Jewish folks and everyone else also. For a person in the New Covenant, we do not have to follow sacrificial laws of the "Mosaic Law," which were fulfilled by Jesus. Nor do we need to follow the civil laws of the Mosaic Law, which were only for Jewish people since the Old Covenant was only between God and the Israelites. And even Jewish people who receive the Messiah do not need to follow them, since they were specific to pre-Messiah Israelite era. For example, Christ made possible a priesthood of all believers. We still must follow the moral laws, as is obvious because Jesus even furthered them. Yet there is only one way to be able to obey the commandments of Christ as given in the Sermon on the Mount and in other places in Scripture, and that is to be enabled by the Holy Spirit Himself. The Spirit of Christ is the One who can enable a person to live by the true love of God.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 89.
(2) Ibid.
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: 56 or 57 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably writing from Corinth (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: Some people convinced some Galatian Christians they had to still obey the Mosaic Law.
"Paul warns the Galatians that although they are free, as Christians, from the Law, yet their lives must exhibit the fruits of the inner law of love implanted by God's Spirit." (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: The Israelites were in a covenant with God, what is now termed the "Old Covenant." I like to refer to this as the "Leading Covenant!" Jesus offered the "New Covenant," which is available for Jewish folks and everyone else also. For a person in the New Covenant, we do not have to follow sacrificial laws of the "Mosaic Law," which were fulfilled by Jesus. Nor do we need to follow the civil laws of the Mosaic Law, which were only for Jewish people since the Old Covenant was only between God and the Israelites. And even Jewish people who receive the Messiah do not need to follow them, since they were specific to pre-Messiah Israelite era. For example, Christ made possible a priesthood of all believers. We still must follow the moral laws, as is obvious because Jesus even furthered them. Yet there is only one way to be able to obey the commandments of Christ as given in the Sermon on the Mount and in other places in Scripture, and that is to be enabled by the Holy Spirit Himself. The Spirit of Christ is the One who can enable a person to live by the true love of God.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 89.
(2) Ibid.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
2 Corinthians application
Regarding 2 Corinthians, how do I apply this to myself?
In all of the Christian reading I have done, there have been a few times when I read a particular chapter of a Christian book and knew Christ had a lesson for me to apply all my days. One such time was when I read one of the introduction chapters of The Sermon on the Mount, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He gave two key to principles for studying the Bible. First, always take a verse in the context of the passage or even the entire chapter or book. And second, look at the spirit, not the letter.
I just learned that he probably got the second point from 2 Corinthians 3:6. This is helpful for me when studying Paul since his writing sometimes contains poor semantics, and he can go off on tangents. Yet just as he told people in the church that they were a letter from Christ written with the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3), Paul was a man inspired by the Spirit of the living God, and God's messages are found in his writing.
Regarding 2 Corinthians, how do I apply this to my community?
2 Corinthians 3:18
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (NIV).
Many years ago, someone did something hurtful to me in church. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to spend a day with only God, getting healing. The following Sunday, I went to a Bible study I attended every Sunday morning. Later on, a woman who had been in that Bible study who also knew what had happened to me told me: I had been worried about you, but when you sat down, your face was glowing, and I thought of Moses' face, and I knew you were alright. In this hurtful world, we followers of Jesus are called to rely on the Spirit of Christ to enable us to show His glory to whoever will notice.
Hunter Irvine
In all of the Christian reading I have done, there have been a few times when I read a particular chapter of a Christian book and knew Christ had a lesson for me to apply all my days. One such time was when I read one of the introduction chapters of The Sermon on the Mount, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He gave two key to principles for studying the Bible. First, always take a verse in the context of the passage or even the entire chapter or book. And second, look at the spirit, not the letter.
I just learned that he probably got the second point from 2 Corinthians 3:6. This is helpful for me when studying Paul since his writing sometimes contains poor semantics, and he can go off on tangents. Yet just as he told people in the church that they were a letter from Christ written with the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3), Paul was a man inspired by the Spirit of the living God, and God's messages are found in his writing.
Regarding 2 Corinthians, how do I apply this to my community?
2 Corinthians 3:18
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (NIV).
Many years ago, someone did something hurtful to me in church. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to spend a day with only God, getting healing. The following Sunday, I went to a Bible study I attended every Sunday morning. Later on, a woman who had been in that Bible study who also knew what had happened to me told me: I had been worried about you, but when you sat down, your face was glowing, and I thought of Moses' face, and I knew you were alright. In this hurtful world, we followers of Jesus are called to rely on the Spirit of Christ to enable us to show His glory to whoever will notice.
Hunter Irvine
2 Corinthians backgound
2 Corinthians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 57 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Macedonia (2 Corinthians 1:16, 7:5)
Purpose: Paul is trying to strengthen the repentant. Paul is also trying to convince the rebellious. (Professor Tofoya)
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: When I was young, when I did something wrong, in addition to any punishment, my mom would often instruct me to say "I'm sorry." I always did, but I often did not mean it. I was saying it because I had to. As one who has received the forgiveness of sins from Jesus, whenever I have told Him, "I am sorry," I meant it. It is one of the great phrases of love for fallible people. It is an all too rare phrase. I want to say it more.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 68.
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 57 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Macedonia (2 Corinthians 1:16, 7:5)
Purpose: Paul is trying to strengthen the repentant. Paul is also trying to convince the rebellious. (Professor Tofoya)
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: When I was young, when I did something wrong, in addition to any punishment, my mom would often instruct me to say "I'm sorry." I always did, but I often did not mean it. I was saying it because I had to. As one who has received the forgiveness of sins from Jesus, whenever I have told Him, "I am sorry," I meant it. It is one of the great phrases of love for fallible people. It is an all too rare phrase. I want to say it more.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters to Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947), 68.
1 Corinthians application
Regarding 1 Corinthians, how do I apply this to myself?
In class we examined the discussion by Paul concerning the "Lord's Supper." I note here the importance of the Lord's Supper for me. There is something about Communion that always reminds me that I have been blessed because Jesus gave of Himself.
Regarding 1 Corinthians, how do I apply this to my community?
Paul was addressing in this book the problem of people taking more than their fair share of the Lord's Supper. The shortage today seems to be with people who partake in Communion from our community. For example, I live by Lakewood High School. I would be fascinated to know how many students from that large high school participated this Sunday in the Lord's Supper as I did. On one youth retreat I was about six years ago, I noticed that many students did not go up front when the Lord's Supper was served during the Sunday morning worship. In the denomination that was running that retreat, you are supposed to be baptized before you can take the Lord's Supper, thus I figured that many of those students were not baptized, since many of them were friends with students who were active in churches.
First things first, these young people need to be told about Jesus so they can make a decision about whether they will receive Him. No such public invitation was made to students on that retreat that I recall. On such youth retreats, students need to be told the Gospel, and they need to be invited to receive Jesus. For those who believe, they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. And then we need to give them an opportunity to be baptized with water and to partake in the Lord's Supper.
Hunter Irvine
In class we examined the discussion by Paul concerning the "Lord's Supper." I note here the importance of the Lord's Supper for me. There is something about Communion that always reminds me that I have been blessed because Jesus gave of Himself.
Regarding 1 Corinthians, how do I apply this to my community?
Paul was addressing in this book the problem of people taking more than their fair share of the Lord's Supper. The shortage today seems to be with people who partake in Communion from our community. For example, I live by Lakewood High School. I would be fascinated to know how many students from that large high school participated this Sunday in the Lord's Supper as I did. On one youth retreat I was about six years ago, I noticed that many students did not go up front when the Lord's Supper was served during the Sunday morning worship. In the denomination that was running that retreat, you are supposed to be baptized before you can take the Lord's Supper, thus I figured that many of those students were not baptized, since many of them were friends with students who were active in churches.
First things first, these young people need to be told about Jesus so they can make a decision about whether they will receive Him. No such public invitation was made to students on that retreat that I recall. On such youth retreats, students need to be told the Gospel, and they need to be invited to receive Jesus. For those who believe, they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. And then we need to give them an opportunity to be baptized with water and to partake in the Lord's Supper.
Hunter Irvine
1 Corinthians background
1 Corinthians
Author: Paul
[See Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History;" Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: 56 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Ephesus (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To inform the Corinthian church of their errors, and to give them Christian guidance. (J.B. Phillips)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: In the concise write-up regarding the theme of the epistle, J.B. Phillip's discusses the 'incredible sexual promiscuity' taking place in Corinth. An issue that many do not like to talk about, yet which I think needs to be confronted, is the vast sexual promiscuity in our culture today. Being someone who has been single and celibate for years (and years) {and years} [and years], (O.K. I have never had had sex. Call me a loser, but I am waiting to make love), I am probably even more sensitive to it. There is much disregard for the standard held by Jesus that sex should be only enjoyed in marriage, which include his teaching not to commit adultery. The word adultery is even one that you do not hear much any more. Encouraged by the 'casual sex' carried out in movies and talked about on TV, sex outside of marriage is common. I think a key reason for the huge shift in sexual norms just in the past 30 years is the easy access in this day and age to birth control. Even teenagers can go to some stores and buy condoms at the self checkout lanes without anyone even knowing, besides God. Yet it is God who does not want anyone engaging in sex outside of marriage, because God intended for sex to be an expression of true love, and nothing less. Now Christians are called by God to love everyone. Sex is for a special romantic love relationship, and it is for expressing love as much as receiving physical pleasure and having kids. As someone who has waited a long time to be married and make love, enabled only by Jesus to wait so long I assure you, I am willing to say that the cultural acceptance of sex outside of marriage is wrong, and the blessing of making love in the commitment of marriage, God's plan, is good. I cannot wait to get there! :)
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Paul
[See Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History;" Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: 56 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Ephesus (J.B. Phillips)
Purpose: To inform the Corinthian church of their errors, and to give them Christian guidance. (J.B. Phillips)
What kind of book?: Letter re: a specific occasion
Reflection: In the concise write-up regarding the theme of the epistle, J.B. Phillip's discusses the 'incredible sexual promiscuity' taking place in Corinth. An issue that many do not like to talk about, yet which I think needs to be confronted, is the vast sexual promiscuity in our culture today. Being someone who has been single and celibate for years (and years) {and years} [and years], (O.K. I have never had had sex. Call me a loser, but I am waiting to make love), I am probably even more sensitive to it. There is much disregard for the standard held by Jesus that sex should be only enjoyed in marriage, which include his teaching not to commit adultery. The word adultery is even one that you do not hear much any more. Encouraged by the 'casual sex' carried out in movies and talked about on TV, sex outside of marriage is common. I think a key reason for the huge shift in sexual norms just in the past 30 years is the easy access in this day and age to birth control. Even teenagers can go to some stores and buy condoms at the self checkout lanes without anyone even knowing, besides God. Yet it is God who does not want anyone engaging in sex outside of marriage, because God intended for sex to be an expression of true love, and nothing less. Now Christians are called by God to love everyone. Sex is for a special romantic love relationship, and it is for expressing love as much as receiving physical pleasure and having kids. As someone who has waited a long time to be married and make love, enabled only by Jesus to wait so long I assure you, I am willing to say that the cultural acceptance of sex outside of marriage is wrong, and the blessing of making love in the commitment of marriage, God's plan, is good. I cannot wait to get there! :)
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Romans application
Regarding Romans, how do I apply this to myself?
Dr. Cartledge states, "He wants the Church in that influential city to be well grounded on the fundamentals of the faith"(1).
Back in the mid 1990's, when I was on a retreat with "Career Fellowship," the incredible singles group at McLean Presbyterian, and a group was giving away a number of framed Scripture verses. I looked through them all, and one really stood out for me. It stated, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"(Romans 6:23).
That had been one of the Scripture memorization verses from the first singles group I was active with at The Falls Church, called Salt and Light. Yet I think there on the retreat was truly the first time I completely understood the reason Jesus had to die on the Cross. I realized He had to die in the place of people who otherwise would spiritually die because spiritual death is the consequences of our sins.
Of all of the letters of Paul, this is my most treasured verse, because it explains why there needed to be a sacrifice of the "Lamb of God," a person to die in our place.
Regarding Romans, how do I apply this to my community?
Back in the summer of 1994, a time when much was happening in my life as I was growing as a young Christian, I was travelling to visit my mom via a bus. At the bus station, I bought a used paperback for something like a dollar. The name of the book was How To Be A Christian Without Being Religious by Fritz Ridenour in 1967, which has been republished a number of times, and which is still in print, though I had never even heard of the book when I first picked it up. That author was teaching the book of Romans by putting Paul's letter into language that was common for our day to be better understood. As a young Christian I got much out of that book, which I read every day after work as I was coming home on the subway until I completed it. That book helped me as a young Christian, and likewise I want to help young Christians today who can learn about the basics of Christianity. Paul's letter to the Romans is full of the basics from which a person can build a faith in Christ, and continue to grow.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 127. {Conservative re: exegesis, not having anything to do with politics.}
Dr. Cartledge states, "He wants the Church in that influential city to be well grounded on the fundamentals of the faith"(1).
Back in the mid 1990's, when I was on a retreat with "Career Fellowship," the incredible singles group at McLean Presbyterian, and a group was giving away a number of framed Scripture verses. I looked through them all, and one really stood out for me. It stated, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"(Romans 6:23).
That had been one of the Scripture memorization verses from the first singles group I was active with at The Falls Church, called Salt and Light. Yet I think there on the retreat was truly the first time I completely understood the reason Jesus had to die on the Cross. I realized He had to die in the place of people who otherwise would spiritually die because spiritual death is the consequences of our sins.
Of all of the letters of Paul, this is my most treasured verse, because it explains why there needed to be a sacrifice of the "Lamb of God," a person to die in our place.
Regarding Romans, how do I apply this to my community?
Back in the summer of 1994, a time when much was happening in my life as I was growing as a young Christian, I was travelling to visit my mom via a bus. At the bus station, I bought a used paperback for something like a dollar. The name of the book was How To Be A Christian Without Being Religious by Fritz Ridenour in 1967, which has been republished a number of times, and which is still in print, though I had never even heard of the book when I first picked it up. That author was teaching the book of Romans by putting Paul's letter into language that was common for our day to be better understood. As a young Christian I got much out of that book, which I read every day after work as I was coming home on the subway until I completed it. That book helped me as a young Christian, and likewise I want to help young Christians today who can learn about the basics of Christianity. Paul's letter to the Romans is full of the basics from which a person can build a faith in Christ, and continue to grow.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 127. {Conservative re: exegesis, not having anything to do with politics.}
Romans background
Romans
Author: Paul
(He used a scribe named Tertius (Romans 16:22))
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
[Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Complete and Unabridged, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Reprinted 1998)]
Date: 56 A.D. (Dr. Cartledge)
Language: Greek (Dr. Keener)
Place: Corinth (Prof. Tafoya)
Purpose: To tell of the salvation available for Jewish and Gentile people through faith, in the midst of much tension which had mounted between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians due to some varying practices between them, following the return of some Jewish Christians to Rome at least six years after being expelled by Emperor Claudius.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a particular occasion
Reflection: 2 Peter 3:16 states, "[Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
I think the sole reason we can know that Paul's letters are Scripture is this affirmation by Peter, the apostle. Paul was not one of the twelve, and Paul did not see Jesus until after Jesus ascended into heaven. So extraordinary was Paul's encounter with Christ that I think verification by Peter, who had the opportunity to learn if Paul's ministry was legitimate, was a must.
Hunter Irvine
Author: Paul
(He used a scribe named Tertius (Romans 16:22))
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
[Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Complete and Unabridged, trans. C.F. Cruse (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Reprinted 1998)]
Date: 56 A.D. (Dr. Cartledge)
Language: Greek (Dr. Keener)
Place: Corinth (Prof. Tafoya)
Purpose: To tell of the salvation available for Jewish and Gentile people through faith, in the midst of much tension which had mounted between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians due to some varying practices between them, following the return of some Jewish Christians to Rome at least six years after being expelled by Emperor Claudius.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a particular occasion
Reflection: 2 Peter 3:16 states, "[Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."
I think the sole reason we can know that Paul's letters are Scripture is this affirmation by Peter, the apostle. Paul was not one of the twelve, and Paul did not see Jesus until after Jesus ascended into heaven. So extraordinary was Paul's encounter with Christ that I think verification by Peter, who had the opportunity to learn if Paul's ministry was legitimate, was a must.
Hunter Irvine
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Acts application
Regarding Acts, how do I apply this to myself?
Acts covers much. So for this moment, I focus in on one word that stuck out for me as I was thinking about what to write here. (I like it when we do the passage meditations in class.) The NIV uses the word "awe" in Acts 2:43, which is apparently not an exact translation though. Witnessing to people about the reality of Jesus, what is necessary is that I am living by His love, and that in His love I am in awe of Him for His love. Jesus, the One who died to save people, did so because He loves people. May I ever increase in my awe of His love.
Regarding Acts, how do I apply this to my community?
I will do so right here in a direct manner. Anyone who happens to be reading my New Testament journal here, I can tell you that I am interested in biblical details, and I am interested in biblical history, because I love Jesus. The many messages in Acts are important, which deal with subjects such as the Ascension, repentance, justice, and the "Church." If you would like to contemplate one message now about my proclamation about Jesus, my message here is that Jesus loves you. The love of Jesus is why I can, and why I want to tell people about Jesus, in whatever community He has me in here.
Hunter Irvine
Acts covers much. So for this moment, I focus in on one word that stuck out for me as I was thinking about what to write here. (I like it when we do the passage meditations in class.) The NIV uses the word "awe" in Acts 2:43, which is apparently not an exact translation though. Witnessing to people about the reality of Jesus, what is necessary is that I am living by His love, and that in His love I am in awe of Him for His love. Jesus, the One who died to save people, did so because He loves people. May I ever increase in my awe of His love.
Regarding Acts, how do I apply this to my community?
I will do so right here in a direct manner. Anyone who happens to be reading my New Testament journal here, I can tell you that I am interested in biblical details, and I am interested in biblical history, because I love Jesus. The many messages in Acts are important, which deal with subjects such as the Ascension, repentance, justice, and the "Church." If you would like to contemplate one message now about my proclamation about Jesus, my message here is that Jesus loves you. The love of Jesus is why I can, and why I want to tell people about Jesus, in whatever community He has me in here.
Hunter Irvine
Acts background
ACTS
Author: Luke
Eusebius identifies Luke as the author in Book 3, Chapter 4, Verse 1 and Verse 6.
Date: Dr. Craig Keener's date of the early 70's, for Acts alone, could be correct since it seems likely that there was a gap in time between the writing of the gospel of Luke and Acts.
Language: Greek, literary Greek
Place: Like the book of Luke, it could have been written when Paul was in prison in Caesarea, yet I think this is too early for "Volume 2."
Purpose: Acts 1:8
What kind of book?: Historical narrative.
Reflection: In 1996, when I was still a young Christian, I was in a singles group at The Falls Church (Anglican) in Virginia. Rev. Bill Haley was our leader, and we were studying Acts. One day, I read the passage on the subway about where God gives Peter the vision of the animals on the sheet which He has made "clean." I did not get that whole thing. I remember praying on the subway, telling God that I did not understand. A few days later, I was listening to a Christian radio interview with Stan Telchin. (His book Betrayed is a classic.) Can you believe he talked about how that passage in Scripture had been one of the key passages that helped him to understand the purpose of the Messiah. I realized I needed to understand the Mosaic Law context, and even the personal Hebrew context, in order to understand the passage.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993.)
Author: Luke
Eusebius identifies Luke as the author in Book 3, Chapter 4, Verse 1 and Verse 6.
Date: Dr. Craig Keener's date of the early 70's, for Acts alone, could be correct since it seems likely that there was a gap in time between the writing of the gospel of Luke and Acts.
Language: Greek, literary Greek
Place: Like the book of Luke, it could have been written when Paul was in prison in Caesarea, yet I think this is too early for "Volume 2."
Purpose: Acts 1:8
What kind of book?: Historical narrative.
Reflection: In 1996, when I was still a young Christian, I was in a singles group at The Falls Church (Anglican) in Virginia. Rev. Bill Haley was our leader, and we were studying Acts. One day, I read the passage on the subway about where God gives Peter the vision of the animals on the sheet which He has made "clean." I did not get that whole thing. I remember praying on the subway, telling God that I did not understand. A few days later, I was listening to a Christian radio interview with Stan Telchin. (His book Betrayed is a classic.) Can you believe he talked about how that passage in Scripture had been one of the key passages that helped him to understand the purpose of the Messiah. I realized I needed to understand the Mosaic Law context, and even the personal Hebrew context, in order to understand the passage.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993.)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
John application
Regarding John, how do I apply this to myself?
For five services in the fall of 2002, I filled in as the worship service leader for a worship service at The Homestead, an independent and assisted living community in Lakewood. The small group was really nice to me. I especially remember Elizabeth, who after the first service, would be the first one to come in that room, cruising along with her "walker," and she would tell others compliments about me, which was a real blessing for a sub. We sang songs, ("What a Friend We Have in Jesus" was always a must), and then I was supposed to preach for about twenty minutes. One of my favorite sermons was from John, where Jesus and Martha talk after the death of Lazarus. What Jesus said, in that oriental style, is a main theme of John, which is that a person needs to believe in Him for eternal life. I believe in Jesus. Praise be to Him!
Regarding John, how do I apply this to my community?
Just as John is written in a much different style than Matthew, I am called to tell the Gospel to people in my own manners.
Hunter Irvine
For five services in the fall of 2002, I filled in as the worship service leader for a worship service at The Homestead, an independent and assisted living community in Lakewood. The small group was really nice to me. I especially remember Elizabeth, who after the first service, would be the first one to come in that room, cruising along with her "walker," and she would tell others compliments about me, which was a real blessing for a sub. We sang songs, ("What a Friend We Have in Jesus" was always a must), and then I was supposed to preach for about twenty minutes. One of my favorite sermons was from John, where Jesus and Martha talk after the death of Lazarus. What Jesus said, in that oriental style, is a main theme of John, which is that a person needs to believe in Him for eternal life. I believe in Jesus. Praise be to Him!
Regarding John, how do I apply this to my community?
Just as John is written in a much different style than Matthew, I am called to tell the Gospel to people in my own manners.
Hunter Irvine
John background
John
Author: John
Origen - "What shall we say of him who reclined upon the breast of Jesus, I mean John? who has left one gospel, in which he confesses that he could write so many books that the whole world could not contain them. He also wrote the Apocalypse..." (1).
(Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.)
Irenaeus - "Afterwards John the disciple of our Lord, the same that lay upon his bosom, also published the gospel, while he was yet at Ephesus in Asia."
(Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 5, Chapter 8, Verse 4.)
Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch - "About 180 he wrote: 'The Holy Scripture teaches us, and all the inspired writers, one of whom, John says, 'In the beginning was the Word...'"(2).
Clement of Alexandria told a story about John as recorded by Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History; Book 3, Chapter 23).
Date: Many say 90-95. I think a tad earlier.
"The existence of the Gospel is recognized as early as Ignatius and Polycarp, about 110 A.D. These and others after them use the Gospel..."(3).
Language: Probably Greek
I have found scholars state that Aramaic could have been the language of the autograph, but most say Greek. Dr. Merrill Tenney was a dean and professor at Wheaton College in the 1960's, and he was an extraordinary scholar. What he states concerning John is interesting: "From the Gospel itself certain facts about the author can be educed. First, he was a Jew who was accustomed to thinking in Aramaic, although the Gospel was written in Greek. Very few subordinate clauses appear in its text, and not infrequently Hebrew or Aramaic words are inserted and then explained"(4).
Place: Ephesus
(See quote by Iranaeus under authorship.)
Purpose: To tell the Gospel that people may believe. Jesus said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"(John 6:40 NIV).
What kind of book: Oriental biography
Reflection: The first time I ever read the book of John, I was a bit frustrated by it. I even thought that sometimes Jesus was avoiding questions posed to Him. Years later, I read a commentary by Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who explained how the cultural roots of Israel was not Greek, rather "oriental." Having been educated in a clearly "Greek" manner at Falls Church High School and at Virginia Tech, John seemed elusive to me, since an oriental style is what he uses. Once I learned the manner of oriental style, which involves many metaphors, and which involves the need to pick the key point out of a rather flowing discourse, I was able to gain the riches in John. One other key point is that one theme of John is "Who is Jesus?" When I did a one and a half year in depth study of John in 2000 and 2001, I made a list of all the names given to identify Jesus, such as the Bread of Life, or the Good Shepherd. The list was extensive. The identity of Jesus is one major theme for John.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Complete and Unabridged trans. C.F. Cruse, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 215.
(2) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 182.
{The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the upmost of authority, working to interpret the writing as the author intended.}
(3) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 182.
(4) Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1961), 186.
Author: John
Origen - "What shall we say of him who reclined upon the breast of Jesus, I mean John? who has left one gospel, in which he confesses that he could write so many books that the whole world could not contain them. He also wrote the Apocalypse..." (1).
(Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.)
Irenaeus - "Afterwards John the disciple of our Lord, the same that lay upon his bosom, also published the gospel, while he was yet at Ephesus in Asia."
(Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 5, Chapter 8, Verse 4.)
Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch - "About 180 he wrote: 'The Holy Scripture teaches us, and all the inspired writers, one of whom, John says, 'In the beginning was the Word...'"(2).
Clement of Alexandria told a story about John as recorded by Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History; Book 3, Chapter 23).
Date: Many say 90-95. I think a tad earlier.
"The existence of the Gospel is recognized as early as Ignatius and Polycarp, about 110 A.D. These and others after them use the Gospel..."(3).
Language: Probably Greek
I have found scholars state that Aramaic could have been the language of the autograph, but most say Greek. Dr. Merrill Tenney was a dean and professor at Wheaton College in the 1960's, and he was an extraordinary scholar. What he states concerning John is interesting: "From the Gospel itself certain facts about the author can be educed. First, he was a Jew who was accustomed to thinking in Aramaic, although the Gospel was written in Greek. Very few subordinate clauses appear in its text, and not infrequently Hebrew or Aramaic words are inserted and then explained"(4).
Place: Ephesus
(See quote by Iranaeus under authorship.)
Purpose: To tell the Gospel that people may believe. Jesus said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"(John 6:40 NIV).
What kind of book: Oriental biography
Reflection: The first time I ever read the book of John, I was a bit frustrated by it. I even thought that sometimes Jesus was avoiding questions posed to Him. Years later, I read a commentary by Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who explained how the cultural roots of Israel was not Greek, rather "oriental." Having been educated in a clearly "Greek" manner at Falls Church High School and at Virginia Tech, John seemed elusive to me, since an oriental style is what he uses. Once I learned the manner of oriental style, which involves many metaphors, and which involves the need to pick the key point out of a rather flowing discourse, I was able to gain the riches in John. One other key point is that one theme of John is "Who is Jesus?" When I did a one and a half year in depth study of John in 2000 and 2001, I made a list of all the names given to identify Jesus, such as the Bread of Life, or the Good Shepherd. The list was extensive. The identity of Jesus is one major theme for John.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History Complete and Unabridged trans. C.F. Cruse, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), 215.
(2) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 182.
{The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the upmost of authority, working to interpret the writing as the author intended.}
(3) Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938), 182.
(4) Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1961), 186.
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